While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. Kim began skating at age six and gained her first international experience in 2002, when she competed in and won the Triglav Trophy competition at the novice level in Jesenice, Slovenia. In 2003 she captured her first South Korean national title. The following year Kim entered the Junior Grand Prix circuit and won gold at the Junior Grand Prix in Hungary. In 2005 she placed first in Junior Grand Prix competitions in Bulgaria and Slovenia, as well as in the Junior Grand Prix Final in the Czech Republic. She took the gold medal at the 2006 world junior championships in her last season competing at the junior level.Kim moved up to the senior level in 2006–07, taking the overall title at the Grand Prix Finals in 2006 and 2007. At the 2007 world championships she placed third. Soon thereafter she began training in Canada under two-time Olympic silver medalist Brian Orser. The following season Kim captured both the Cup of China and the Cup of Russia before securing another bronze medal at the 2008 world championships.(Read Scott Hamilton’s Britannica essay on "Training for Olympic Gold.")At the 2009 world championships, Kim made history as she took home South Korea’s first senior-level world figure skating title. In addition, she finished with a record 207.71 points, beating the previous mark of 199.52 set in 2006 by her longtime rival Asada Mao of Japan. Kim followed that performance with wins at two Grand Prix competitions in 2009 as well as that season’s Grand Prix final, making her a favourite going into the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. Her nearly flawless performance in Vancouver won her a gold medal—South Korea’s first Winter Games medal in a sport other than speed skating. Kim skated a complex, technically difficult, yet elegant routine that featured seven triple jumps, and she received a record 228.56 points, more than 23 points ahead of her nearest competitor. Kim placed second in both the 2010 and 2011 world championships before announcing that she would take a hiatus from competitive skating, sitting out the 2011–12 season. She returned in 2012 with a first-place performance in the NRW Trophy competition in Dortmund, Germany.